Elon Musk’s Starlink coming to India soon: How much will the hyper-fast internet cost?

However, a new report suggests that Starlink’s unlimited data plans may be priced under $10 or Rs 840 per month. More, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has suggested that it urban users may have to shell out a monthly charge of Rs 500, which will make satellite internet expensive compared to traditional ground based solutions.

But this is only the monthly subscription price. On top of the monthly fee, users will also have to buy the Starlink kit, which includes a Wi-Fi router and a satellite dish. In the United States, the standard Starlink costs $349, which roughly amounts to Rs 30,000, while the Starlink mini kit, which lets you access the internet on the go, is priced at $599 or approximately Rs 43,000. We expect that these kits will be similarly priced in India.

While standard Starlink plans typically start at $120 per month, the Starlink Mini offers only two options: a $120 (approx. Rs 10,300) plan with 50GB of data and an unlimited data plan priced at $165 (approx. Rs 14,100) per month. However, if you want to use Starlink on a boat, be ready to pay $2,500 (approx Rs 2,14,000 ) for the hardware, with optional accessories like a pipe adaptor and Gen 3 Wi-Fi router priced at $120 (Rs 10,300) and $199 (approx. Rs 17,000), respectively.

In case you are wondering, the standard kit works just fine if you are stationary. As for boats, Starlink once again has two plans – a $250 (approx Rs 21,400) plan that comes with 50GB of data and a super expensive $1000 ( approx. Rs 85,500) per month plan that comes with unlimited data.

When will Starlink come to India?

Earlier this month, a report by PTI claimed that the Indian government has issued a letter of intent, also known as LoI, to Starlink, clearing the way for the SpaceX-owned company to offer satellite communication services in the country.

However, before Starlink rolls out its services across India, it will need approval from the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) and needs to have a spectrum allocated by the government. And while the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India already seems to be in the last stages of preparing a recommendation for spectrum allocation.

The Elon Musk-owned company has also signed pacts with major telecom networks like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel, which account for more than 70 per cent of the Indian telecom market, but we will have to see how these partnerships affect the price and availability of Starlink’s services in India.

The announcements did not go into specifics, but Jio did mention that it will sell Starlink equipment via retail outlets and establish a “mechanism to support customer service installation and activation” of services. Right now, it is still unclear if and when Starlink will be available in India, but it is likely that the service will be available via telecom operators sometime later this year or next year.

Note: The Indian prices are a rough estimate, and they may change when Starlink is officially available in India.

Starlink may be expensive, but it has a huge advantage over broadband

While this is significantly more expensive than going with a traditional broadband service, which users can get for as low as Rs 300 per month, Starlink has a great advantage over these wired broadband solutions as it allows users to access the internet from anywhere.

Compared to traditional satellite companies like Viasat, HughesNet and Amazon, which have been offering satellite-based internet for years now, Starlink is comparatively faster. Unlike companies like Viasat, which hugely rely on a handful of large satellites, Starlink uses a constellation of thousands of small satellites with lasers that can connect, which minimises the dependency on ground-based stations and helps deliver high-speed low low-latency internet.

The high subscription cost may not be suitable for individuals, but Starlink is likely to appeal to businesses, government institutions and rural areas where traditional broadband services are still unavailable. Quick and easy access to the internet could also help boost sectors like healthcare and education, as well as help disaster management services.